Photo by: All Pro Photography/Dale Sparks
Monday Mountaineer Football Notebook
October 12, 2020 04:00 PM | Football, Blog
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The COVID-19 virus is seemingly swirling around the West Virginia Mountaineers.
WVU's most recent opponent, Baylor, has now hit the pause button on football activities for this week to evaluate a number of recent positives within the program. Its game this Saturday against Oklahoma State has been rescheduled for Saturday, Dec. 12.
West Virginia's Saturday foe, Kansas, is also dealing with a COVID positive result – coach Les Miles.
The veteran coach announced last week that he tested positive for the virus last Wednesday and is currently isolating from the players and coaches.
Miles, 66, issued a 35-second video on his official Twitter account Sunday giving Jayhawk fans an update on his health.
"Hey Jayhawks, just wanted to thank you for your prayers and your support as I fight through this virus," he said. "I am quarantining in my house and my health is pretty good so I am thankful. Our football team is in good hands. I am able to get to Zoom meetings as we prepare our West Virginia game plan.
"I can't wait to get back to our players and our coaches as soon as it is safe to do so. Stay safe and Rock Chalk Jayhawk," he concluded.
Kansas defensive coordinator D.J. Eliot substituted for Miles on his weekly teleconference with Big 12 media Monday morning.
"Coach Miles is doing well," Eliot said. "He is continuing to address the team and the coaching staff via Zoom. Fortunately, with the technology we've developed over the pandemic, he has been able to continue the process as the head coach.
"We look forward to having good practices this week and look forward to having coach Miles at the game on Saturday," Eliot said.
Eliot said the team was notified last Thursday of Miles' positive test result.
"Coach Miles immediately put a plan in place of how we were going to practice on Thursday and how we were going to handle our preparations on Friday, Saturday and Sunday," Eliot said. "He's been in contact with us on a daily basis. He's been in the staff meetings and he's been involved in the individual staff meetings via Zoom. Our coordinators are handling their areas and coach Miles is directing us as to exactly what he wants us to do and he plans on being there on Saturday."
West Virginia coach Neal Brown was asked Monday about his team's post-Baylor testing results last week.
"Knock on wood, last week we tested on Sunday, Wednesday and Friday, which is our normal protocol. We had zero new positives out of that round of testing and we tested again (Sunday) but have not gotten those results back (as of Monday morning)," he said. "We're hopeful that we can remain COVID free. Obviously, we'll be ready to adjust if that's not the case, but that's where we stand right now."
Brown began Monday's news conference by wishing Miles a speedy recovery.
More Monday Notes ...
* The Big 12 announced late this afternoon via Twitter that Saturday's Kansas game has moved from FS1 to FOX with Gus Johnson and Joel Klatt now on the call. It will remain a noon kickoff.
* Brown said his team had a productive week of practice prior to last Saturday's bye.
"We were able to improve on some things we needed to improve on, and we also needed to get some much-needed rest because I think we're the only team in the league that plays five consecutive games," he said. "It's a tough stretch playing five conference games in five weeks so we need to make sure that we're in a spot where we can, hopefully, remain healthy through that."
Brown said punt return and more efficient passing were two areas of focus. He also said improved tackling was on the to-do list for the defense.
"Our punt return team is not as good as it needs to be. I think offensively, we've not thrown the ball efficient enough to be able to win the games we have to win down the stretch here. We put a lot of time in both of those areas," he said. "Defensively, we spent a lot of time on tackling. I think that's something we need to get better at. Whether that's work that is going to show is to be determined. Hopefully on Saturday, we'll see some of those improvements and continue to show them as we move through the year."
* Interestingly enough, Kansas State coach Chris Klieman brought up tackling during his portion of today's call. He said some of the big scores we are seeing in college football so far can be traced to poor tackling.
His Wildcats have won three straight over Oklahoma, Texas Tech and TCU after beginning the season with a four-point loss to Arkansas State, and improved tackling has been a factor.
"No matter what level you are talking about it still comes down to tackling," he said. "The biggest lost art in football right now is the ability to tackle. These last few weeks we have tackled much better, which gives you an opportunity to limit the explosive plays. Any game that's high scoring I bet you can trace it back to missed tackles."
Klieman said tackling is not just a matter of getting players to the ground. It's also about pursuing with proper angles within the defensive scheme.
"I can be really aggressive on an outside leg of this ball carrier coming at me because I know I've got help coming inside," he explained. "We call it 'keeping the cup' and having the right principles of where you can miss to where your help is coming from. Those are the best tackling teams I've been a part of because they know where their leverage is and they can sprint through their leverage. If they miss it on the correct leverage, they've got another partner coming on the side."
Klieman said zone coverage teams are typically better at tackling because of the nature of the defense.
"They know where their fits and leverages are," he said. "If it's man coverage and you miss a tackle there are usually a bunch of guys with their back to the football."
However, Klieman said he rarely practices tackling once the season starts.
"We don't go to the ground during the week," he said. "We do during camp on a limited basis and in spring ball, but during a regular game week we 'thud' guys and let them go so it's difficult to become a really great tackling team."
* Back to West Virginia. Neal Brown said his offensive line is continuing to make strides.
"We are way better than we were a year ago," he noted. "Our ability to rush the football is much improved from a year ago. We are not a finished product by any means. We've got to do a better job of protecting the passer. I think we've got to do a better job in short-yardage situations. We don't have great depth, but we had a really good bye week up front, and we will continue to work on the things we need to work on. Hopefully, we will be back at full strength this week, but that's kind of to-be-determined."
One young player who has really turned heads with his rapid advancement is true freshman center/guard Zach Frazier. The Fairmont Senior product has appeared in all three games and has started two. Week one it was at center and most recently, he was the team's starting left guard in place of James Gmiter.
"I thought physically he'd be ready," Brown said. "Physically, he's strong, he's got long arms and big hands, but mentally, his ability to play multiple positions and to handle all of the things that go into it he's done a phenomenal job. I think his future is extremely bright."
* A 5:30 p.m. EDT kickoff time has been announced for West Virginia's Oct. 24 game at Texas Tech. The contest will be televised nationally on ESPN2.
WVU's most recent opponent, Baylor, has now hit the pause button on football activities for this week to evaluate a number of recent positives within the program. Its game this Saturday against Oklahoma State has been rescheduled for Saturday, Dec. 12.
West Virginia's Saturday foe, Kansas, is also dealing with a COVID positive result – coach Les Miles.
The veteran coach announced last week that he tested positive for the virus last Wednesday and is currently isolating from the players and coaches.
Miles, 66, issued a 35-second video on his official Twitter account Sunday giving Jayhawk fans an update on his health.
"Hey Jayhawks, just wanted to thank you for your prayers and your support as I fight through this virus," he said. "I am quarantining in my house and my health is pretty good so I am thankful. Our football team is in good hands. I am able to get to Zoom meetings as we prepare our West Virginia game plan.
"I can't wait to get back to our players and our coaches as soon as it is safe to do so. Stay safe and Rock Chalk Jayhawk," he concluded.
Kansas defensive coordinator D.J. Eliot substituted for Miles on his weekly teleconference with Big 12 media Monday morning.
"Coach Miles is doing well," Eliot said. "He is continuing to address the team and the coaching staff via Zoom. Fortunately, with the technology we've developed over the pandemic, he has been able to continue the process as the head coach.
"We look forward to having good practices this week and look forward to having coach Miles at the game on Saturday," Eliot said.
Eliot said the team was notified last Thursday of Miles' positive test result.
"Coach Miles immediately put a plan in place of how we were going to practice on Thursday and how we were going to handle our preparations on Friday, Saturday and Sunday," Eliot said. "He's been in contact with us on a daily basis. He's been in the staff meetings and he's been involved in the individual staff meetings via Zoom. Our coordinators are handling their areas and coach Miles is directing us as to exactly what he wants us to do and he plans on being there on Saturday."
West Virginia coach Neal Brown was asked Monday about his team's post-Baylor testing results last week.
"Knock on wood, last week we tested on Sunday, Wednesday and Friday, which is our normal protocol. We had zero new positives out of that round of testing and we tested again (Sunday) but have not gotten those results back (as of Monday morning)," he said. "We're hopeful that we can remain COVID free. Obviously, we'll be ready to adjust if that's not the case, but that's where we stand right now."
Brown began Monday's news conference by wishing Miles a speedy recovery.
More Monday Notes ...
* The Big 12 announced late this afternoon via Twitter that Saturday's Kansas game has moved from FS1 to FOX with Gus Johnson and Joel Klatt now on the call. It will remain a noon kickoff.
* Brown said his team had a productive week of practice prior to last Saturday's bye.
"We were able to improve on some things we needed to improve on, and we also needed to get some much-needed rest because I think we're the only team in the league that plays five consecutive games," he said. "It's a tough stretch playing five conference games in five weeks so we need to make sure that we're in a spot where we can, hopefully, remain healthy through that."
Brown said punt return and more efficient passing were two areas of focus. He also said improved tackling was on the to-do list for the defense.
"Our punt return team is not as good as it needs to be. I think offensively, we've not thrown the ball efficient enough to be able to win the games we have to win down the stretch here. We put a lot of time in both of those areas," he said. "Defensively, we spent a lot of time on tackling. I think that's something we need to get better at. Whether that's work that is going to show is to be determined. Hopefully on Saturday, we'll see some of those improvements and continue to show them as we move through the year."
* Interestingly enough, Kansas State coach Chris Klieman brought up tackling during his portion of today's call. He said some of the big scores we are seeing in college football so far can be traced to poor tackling.
His Wildcats have won three straight over Oklahoma, Texas Tech and TCU after beginning the season with a four-point loss to Arkansas State, and improved tackling has been a factor.
"No matter what level you are talking about it still comes down to tackling," he said. "The biggest lost art in football right now is the ability to tackle. These last few weeks we have tackled much better, which gives you an opportunity to limit the explosive plays. Any game that's high scoring I bet you can trace it back to missed tackles."
Klieman said tackling is not just a matter of getting players to the ground. It's also about pursuing with proper angles within the defensive scheme.
"I can be really aggressive on an outside leg of this ball carrier coming at me because I know I've got help coming inside," he explained. "We call it 'keeping the cup' and having the right principles of where you can miss to where your help is coming from. Those are the best tackling teams I've been a part of because they know where their leverage is and they can sprint through their leverage. If they miss it on the correct leverage, they've got another partner coming on the side."
Klieman said zone coverage teams are typically better at tackling because of the nature of the defense.
"They know where their fits and leverages are," he said. "If it's man coverage and you miss a tackle there are usually a bunch of guys with their back to the football."
However, Klieman said he rarely practices tackling once the season starts.
"We don't go to the ground during the week," he said. "We do during camp on a limited basis and in spring ball, but during a regular game week we 'thud' guys and let them go so it's difficult to become a really great tackling team."
* Back to West Virginia. Neal Brown said his offensive line is continuing to make strides.
"We are way better than we were a year ago," he noted. "Our ability to rush the football is much improved from a year ago. We are not a finished product by any means. We've got to do a better job of protecting the passer. I think we've got to do a better job in short-yardage situations. We don't have great depth, but we had a really good bye week up front, and we will continue to work on the things we need to work on. Hopefully, we will be back at full strength this week, but that's kind of to-be-determined."
One young player who has really turned heads with his rapid advancement is true freshman center/guard Zach Frazier. The Fairmont Senior product has appeared in all three games and has started two. Week one it was at center and most recently, he was the team's starting left guard in place of James Gmiter.
"I thought physically he'd be ready," Brown said. "Physically, he's strong, he's got long arms and big hands, but mentally, his ability to play multiple positions and to handle all of the things that go into it he's done a phenomenal job. I think his future is extremely bright."
* A 5:30 p.m. EDT kickoff time has been announced for West Virginia's Oct. 24 game at Texas Tech. The contest will be televised nationally on ESPN2.
Players Mentioned
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/ Football
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/ FootballTV Highlights: WVU 74, UCF 67
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